Mass Effect: Synthesis Extras
by Jade Tatsu
Summary: Extra bits from Mass Effect: Synthesis. Could be extra scenes, alternative scenes or things that are just plain weird. These are things that didn't make it into the main story but still might give someone a laugh or a smile or illustrate things in a different way. They were usually given out to readers as a chapter bonus. Enjoy.
1. Leroy Jenkins!

Comment from Reviewer: The new entity will charge into battle with the cry LEEEEERRROOOOYYYY JENKIIIIINNNNS

This was not given out with any chapter.

**Mass Effect: Synthesis**  
><strong>Extra: Leroy Jenkins<strong>

* * *

><p>Cenkin, the CEuman of the SILO Cenkin lay under the bush, watching as Batarian mercs advanced. He suppressed a growl. He'd been at home, having dinner with his family who'd moved back to Eden Prime once he'd begun synthesis, when the warning alarms had started. His Mom and Dad had quickly taken his little sister into the shelter but he'd been angry. He'd been away for years and all he had been doing was catching up but no, the Batarians couldn't take a hint! Red had flashed over his vision and Cenkin had agreed with him. It was time the Batarians were brought to heel.<p>

But that was not their decision and Harbinger had been adamant that no assistance was to be given to the humans. They needed this test, this trial by fire but Harbinger had never said that they couldn't defend themselves. No Batarian had so much as touched a CEuman and that wasn't about to change now.

He didn't have any formal training. He didn't even have any weapons on him. He didn't need them. As a human he might have been just eighteen when he'd agreed to synthesis but Cendain had the knowledge of a nation, knowledge he now had. Cendain knew how to fight, both as the huge form of the ship he had been and as an organic body and right at the moment a hundred moves danced in the forefront of his mind.

The Batarians were almost in range. There were five of them. They were armed. It meant nothing. Lightning played through his fingers and his toes dug into the dirt as he surged forward. They saw him coming. With their four eyes, they had excellent peripheral vision.

He grinned, almost bearing his teeth. It didn't matter, because he was faster. Human limits meant nothing to him. His hand touched the closest Batarian even as the alien turned towards him. The Batarian jerked as energy that was like biotic but wasn't quite flowed into him. The energy was close enough to electricity that it acted the same. The alien couldn't even scream and Cenkin moved as the others dragged their guns around to him.

He dodged right, a stray shot passed by him. Cenkin flicked up his left hand. The shots that followed hit his barrier and he chuckled as the Batarians looked at him. He knew what he looked like. His eyes were glowing, just as his hands were and the cobalt blue lines on the jump suit he wore looked like they were pulsing with energy.

"Impossible," one snarled. "Humans don't have biotics!"

He didn't bother to reply. Instead, Cenkin flicked his right hand out, casually picking up the speaker and hurling him into the air before driving the batarian into the ground. The crack of bones was audible to all and the alien lay still in the dirt. The throaty gurgle of his death rattle signalled that he would not be getting up.

The other three fired again and he watched as one pulled a grenade. The batarian threw it quickly and Cenkin almost laughed as he caught it. A tiny charge of electricity surged through it, disabling the charge and while he maintained his barrier he held the weapon up, and then threw it from hand to hand.

The batarians backed away. They wanted to run. They were on the verge of it but there was nowhere to run. He flicked the grenade at the still twitching batarian, not bothering to hold back his laugh as it detonated when it hit the prone form.

The other aliens stared, their eyes going wide but he just grinned again and charged forward. It was a hard few minutes for the batarians, minutes that only ended when Cenkin gripped the neck of the last one and twisted sharply, ending their pain. As an afterthought he kicked the bodies, a derisive snort the only regard he gave them as he looked to the stars.

"Now that was not a Leroy Jenkins!"


	2. The Lion Sleeps Tonight

This is a scene that could have happened. It does not break continuity of Mass Effect: Synthesis, but it was not put in to the main story because I felt it was not necessary.

This was the bonus for reviewing chapter 8

**Mass Effect: Synthesis Extra**  
><strong>Extra: The Lion Sleeps Tonight<strong>

* * *

><p>Harbinger dimmed his running lights, as he pushed more energy into to shield around the tent on the ground before him. Jane was asleep, her mother was beside her and there were CEumans guarding the entries. He had husks from previous cycles crowded behind the airlocks closest to her which would attack anything. They would be noisy though and humans were like most organics, they healed best when they were asleep.<p>

Which is why the three Batarian signals creeping though the outer field were about to be trapped and then eliminated as silently as he could manage. The CEumans already knew not to move, unless absolutely necessary. The sleep cycle of his organic would not be interrupted by these nuisances. He was mildly curious to know how they'd avoided the SOCL sensors until now but that was only a passing interest. It was probably a result of the SOCL no longer looking and them being removed from the main groups when they were.

The batarians were cautious. They slunk through the darkness carefully, using what cover there was. Against organics, their skill was impressive. Against him, they should have just walked straight up.

Harbinger extended a mass effect field over them, much like a biotic could and as the Batarians moved from between tents he slammed them into the ground. The hardest thing about it was angling the field so that they hit the ground head first, muffling their cries. The batarians struggled against the force but there was nothing they could do. Idly Harbinger increased the pressure as he reached out. They were within his sphere of influence and it was a simple thing to touch their fragile minds. The more challenging part was ensuring that he did not accidentally brush against either Shepard.

Their thoughts were confused and frantic. They were scared and didn't understand what was happening. Harbinger's fields did not have the signature colour of biotic power so they could see no reason they were being driven into the ground. As he had suspected, they had been separated from their unit when the SOCL had awoken. For the last few days they had been running scared but they knew that something important was here. They had seen images of him but had not known what he was and so had chosen the dumbest route of all. To ignore him.

Organics sunk to new levels of stupidity every cycle. Their plan was very simple. Find out what was here and capture it and then bargain their way off world. No imagination. No foresight, no cunning. And this from a race that fancied itself the smartest of the cycle? No wonder so many of them had already been indoctrinated by the remains of Ikasanrew. What angered him now was that they would dare to attempt to injure his organic? Harbinger's field wrapped around them lifting their bodies and dragging them towards him. Silently a hatch opened and he dropped them in.

They would not live for long but in the time they had remaining, they would regret their path.


	3. Huskie

From a typo in a PM that asked if I could make dog husks, and call them Huskies, or make Husky husks. This was the outcome.

This was the bonus for reviewing chapter 9.

**Mass Effect: Synthesis**  
><strong>Extra: Huskie<br>**

* * *

><p><strong>2187, Sol System, Shepard<strong>

One thing she'd never really thought about, but was becoming intimately familiar with was that Harbinger was huge. At over two kilometres long that was a lot of corridor to explore but there was surprisingly very little straight parts. If she wasn't already linked with Harbinger's mind, Shepard admitted she would have been lost after the first few turns.

It was actually a comfort. She'd imagined that most synthetics to be completely logical beings, with everything laid out in straight lines and sharp edges. Harbinger's internals were anything but. They were a maze, one he offered no apology for but as she explored further, she began to get a feel for him and there was logic behind it.

She'd found bays of things she called Dragon's Teeth. They were all towards the exterior of him, for ready deployment. She'd seen rows and rows of stasis pods, some empty, some filled with the product of those Dragon's Teeth. It had made her sick at first, but Harbinger had assured her that they were dead when they had been created. That wasn't quite true but the process did kill them quickly so she overlooked his opinion of reality in favor of the mercy.

After that, there had been a 'tac tac tac' following her. Usually it would aroused her instincts but she was within Harbinger. There was nothing here that would hurt her. He would not let it. So she continued walking. The 'tac tac tac' continued. It stopped when she stopped, continued when she moved.

As she moved down a rare long straight section she risked a glance back. There was nothing. She kept walking, turning a corner back into the maze that was Harbinger's internals. The 'tac tac tac' started again.

"Harbinger!" her voice was exasperated.

**"Shepard?" **

She almost growled at the note in his voice. While Harbinger was a synthetic life form, made from the combined consciousness of billions of individuals, he did, if you dug deep enough, have a sense of humor. He had every trait an organic did but immortality muted them.

"What is following me?"

**"Nothing is following you."**

"Harbinger!" she barked. Harbinger didn't lie. It was not that he was averse to it, he could lie and he had the intelligence to keep any lie straight but it was easier to tell the truth and he knew how to stretch the truth as far as it would go. Nothing was following her because no doubt, whatever was following her was doing so two paces to the left or right, which meant it wasn't stepping on her trail and therefore it was not following.

The 'tac tac tac' started again and Shepard listened as it came closer. She frowned, it was not the gait of a biped and slowly she turned to see it. A nose appeared from around the corner, at about 60cm high. It was black and was quickly accompanied by pair of long legs and the head. Electric blue eyes looked at her and sharp teeth were visible. The animal continued coming, and Shepard just stared. It walked on four legs and was black. Electric blue lines traced over it like a skeleton and it never blinked as it walked up to her.

It looked up as she looked down, and then it sat down, collapsing its hind legs.

"Harbinger," her voice was soft this time, quavering as she looked at the creature. The most disconcerting thing was the way it was waving its tail. The hind appendage swept the floor energetically as it grinned at her.

**"Shepard?"** Harbinger asked, his voice deliberately neutral.

"Why did," she shook her head. "How did…" Shepard frowned as she tried to frame the question. "How did you get a husky on board?" That's what it was. A dog. And from the tail and the ears and the lines of fur still clinging to it, it was a husky.

It began panting, its tongue lolling out as it continued to look up at her. Maybe its eyes went a bit wider because Shepard could swear it was asking to be petted. She reached down and carefully scratched around its ears. If anything its tail wagged harder and it leaned into her touch.

**"You don't like it?"** Harbinger asked, rather than replying though with his voice came the information that the dog had come aboard with the God is Might leaders who had been surrendered to him.

"It is… I don't… It doesn't matter!" Shepard snapped the reply. "Just tell me one thing," she said finally, "why the hell did you huskify a husky?"


	4. The Collectors and the Council

Harbinger was silent for a long moment, calculating options. **"Take some synthesized with you and watch them,"** he agreed, though he wanted to know what they thought of the Cycle. Dan Sewei said it was over and while Harbinger knew that the choice for Synthesis made so long ago was meant to be the end of the Cycle, he also knew that nothing would truly end it. Not while they existed. **"Make sure the Council know nothing,"** he added, **"and call Nazara back. The Vanguard has been out long enough."**

Those were Harbinger's orders, but what if he'd said "I'll inform the Council"?

This one is obviously a 'what if' for the fic, and is a hold over from a time when I was going to put the Collectors in the fic in a much more meaningful way.

This was the bonus for reviewing chapter 14.

**Mass Effect: Synthesis**  
><strong>Extra: The Collectors and the Council<br>**

* * *

><p><em><strong>July 8th 2185 Citadel <strong>_

"What do you mean Valern?" Tevos asked, blinking sleep from her eyes.

"The Collectors are here. They have requested an urgent meeting with the Council."

"How long?"

"Half an hour."

Tevos groaned lightly but was already moving. The Collectors here... at the Citadel... This was... Goddess... She hoped this was something simple but she already knew in her bones it was not. No Terminus System race came to the Council... at least not one that given all the evidence available predated all known races as spacefaring. What did they want?

The question was still hanging over her head a half hour later when the Collector entered the Council Chambers. To the surprise of all the ship had come through the Relay and had requested the meeting. The Collector had simply agreed to bring a reduced honor guard and Tevos now found herself sitting across from an alien she had only heard about as a rumor of a rumor. Where did one start in this situation? 'Hi, so you are real,' was not exactly appropriate and Tevos took only small comfort in the fact that both Valern and Sparatus seemed to be equally confused.

"Council," the Collector began and somehow it gave the impression that it was looking each of them in the eye. "I am here as a curtsey. The Batarians have awakened something they should not have. We cannot stop it. They cannot stop it. It can only stop itself. At the moment it does not wish to stop. The Batarians will be the first ascended."

"I'm sorry, could you elaborate?" Tevos asked. The Batarians were at war, she knew that but they had been at war for the last few years... They were holding their own, weren't they?

The Collector blinked and Tevos watched as its wings twitched but it showed no other outward sign of annoyance and she wasn't even sure if it was annoyed. "You are aware of their war?" The question was sudden and pointed and the Asari could only nod.

"They were fighting the Children but they made a mistake. The Masters are now involved."

"The Masters?" Valern asked, fascinated by the implications the of the Collector's speech.

"The Masters of Ascension," the Collector replied as if it should be obvious.

"So these Masters will now fight the Batarians?" Sparatus questioned.

The Collector shook its head. "The Masters do not fight anyone. No one can fight the Masters. They are eternal. They have no beginning or ending. They are perfection."

Tevos frowned. She didn't understand.

"Make sense!" Sparatus snarled before Tevos could wave him to silence.

"The Masters are eternal, they are…" The Collector paused hissing before it boomed, **"ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL."**

The voice thundered around the room and Tevos was hard pressed to believe it came from the being in front of them but it did and she could only watch in awe as the Collector glowed and rose up. Its wings were not spread, it was a greater power which took it now. It was Valern who recovered first. "Ah, a Master!" he said excitedly.

That caused the Collector's head to turn towards him, glowing eyes almost spearing the salarian councillor with their intensity. **"I AM THE MASTER. THE SPECIES YOU KNOW AS BATARIAN HAVE ATTEMPTED TO INTERFER WITH THE CYCLE. THEY, THE LEAST OF SPECIES, SHALL BE THE FIRST ASCENDED."**

"They hurt your children?" Tevos asked tentatively, as she surreptitiously tried to calm the ringing in her ears.

That brought the Collector's attention to herself and she quailed at the intensity of its gaze. Tevos thought herself a good diplomat. She had kept the peace between Council species for the last hundred years. Looking into that burning gaze she felt as if she was being judged and she knew with absolute certainty that there was no diplomatic gesture, either as words or deeds that would sway the being who held the Collector in thrall. It growled at her without making a noise. **"THE CHILDREN ARE FEW AND ARE PROTECTED ABOVE ALL OTHERS FOR THROUGH THEM LIES THE PATH TO GREATER STRENGTH AND THEN NONE SHALL ESCAPE ASCENSION."**

At this, the Collector's body guards shivered.

Tevos would have replied but at that moment a Spectre crashed through the door and she rather belatedly realised that the Spectre was attempting to hold back the Batarian Ambassador. The Collector's body guards snapped to attention, raising their weapons, which caused the Spectres behind them to return the gesture.

The floating, glowing form of the Collector was unperturbed as it shifted slightly and though it was difficult to tell the look of disdain it directed towards the Batarian left her feeling cold.

"Councillors! You have to help! We are under attack," the Batarian ambassador said without bothering to hide the desperation in his voice.

"**YOU ARE THE FIRST OF THIS CYCLE TO BE ASCENDED!"**

All four of the batarian's eyes widened and Tevos watched as the man's throat worked as he turned to see the Collector.

"What is that?" the Batarian Ambassador demanded after a moment.

"A representative from the race attacking yours," Sparatus said and Tevos almost cringed. Turians didn't like Batarians but the happy fluting in Sparatus voice was not appropriate.

"How dare you!" The Ambassador shrieked and probably would have lunged at the Collector if not for the gun points levelled at him. The batarian turned back to the Council. "We are members of the Citadel Species, under attack by an unknown and hostile force, the Hemegony demands that the Council honor its treaties," the Ambassador's voice was more refined this time as he brought himself under control.

Tevos shared a look with Valern and Sparatus. The demand was one members could make of the Council, except… how long had the Batarians been attacking the so called unknown race?

Before she could answer, the Collector moved, too fast to see except as an after image of light. The Batarian screamed and Tevos felt sick as the Ambassador was surrounded by what had to be white hot biotic power which sliced him to pieces. With an audible snap of recoil the power returned to the Collector who was still floating but now almost seemed to be bursting. She waved back the Spectres who had started forward. She knew with absolute certainty that the Collector would allow no attack upon its person and if they were to try, then they'd all met the same fate as the Batarian ambassador.

"**YOU CANNOT DELAY ASCENSION BUT NOR WILL YOU BE PERMITTED TO TRY, FOR ASCENSION IS THE WAY OF THE CYCLE AND THE CYCLE IS ETERNAL."**

"That doesn't make any sense," Sparatus said more reasonably this time.

"**UNDERSTANDING IS NOT REQUIRED JUST OBEDIENCE."**

With the final word the Collector seemed to groan and there was an explosion of light which blinded them all. It left Tevos blinking rapidly as she tried to make her eyes adjust again to the soft light of the chamber. The cursing from around her left her know that everyone was still alive.

By the time she could see again, she looked over to see the Collector collapsed on the floor. Behind it, were the forms of its body guards, also collapsed and as she watched the bodies seemed to… dissolve. She felt a premonition as her mind analysed the meeting they had just participated in.

She didn't need the alarm warning coming from the Spectre's omni-tools to know that the Collector ship had just left. Tevos sat down, closing her eyes to resist the urge to rub her temples.

She knew they hadn't heard the last of either the Children or the Masters and she knew, that when they chose to represent themselves they would be … they would be what? That she didn't know but they would change the galaxy.

Forever.


	5. Aria on Garrus Vakarian

Aria's story doesn't impact on the over all plot of the main fic, so I wrote a few little pieces to explain what happens to her. This is the first one and was given out as Chapter 19's bonus, though there is no particular reason for that.

**Mass Effect: Synthesis, Extras**  
><strong>Jade Tatsu<strong>  
><strong>Aria on Garrus Vakarian<strong>

* * *

><p>Aria leaned over her desk, resting her elbows and breasts on the smooth surface as she flicked one finger to scroll through the information. Her chin rested on her other hand, pushing her cheek upwards, half closing one eye. The relaxed posture was one she took only in private. Usually she conducted business in the more informal setting of the lounge but when she truly needed to work, to catch up on information, she chose a place of few distractions. Some of her drones collected and collated the information from various sources to provide her with only the most pertinent details. There was some speculation but it was well known that she liked to draw her own conclusions.<p>

The big news had been two days back. Even on Omega, the assassination of the Turian Councillor was noteworthy. And killed by no lesser figure than Omega's own Archangel! A few of the cartels had jokingly said they would remove the bounty on Vakarian's head for the service he'd provided. The Archangel had disrupted supply but in the scheme of things that had been temporary, the turian military had been doing that for centuries. Of course, they wouldn't really remove the bounty but they might give the Archangel a drink before they shot him.

Still, something didn't ring true with the reports. When Aria had seen them initially, she'd been surprised, then after the wash of new information faded, she'd considered what she knew. Vakarian was a sniper and turian. While Aria knew more than enough turians who'd kill their own mothers if that would get them something, Vakarian was about as turian as you got. He had honor. And Sparatus, for all that he was a Councillor, was not involved in that many shady dealings. Certainly nothing dodgy enough to raise Vakarian's ire. The small possibility that the Councillor had been doing something had been quickly dismissed. No one was that good at covering their tracks.

So, why would Vakarian assassinate Sparatus? Assuming he had done it, it wouldn't be for anything as petty as money. And if the Councillor had not been invo…

Ah, now that was an interesting tidbit. Aria reread the line. Sparatus had summoned Garrus back to Palaven on every official and unofficial channel there was. There was no attachment with the summons. That generally meant it was for something so high level that information could not leak out or that Sparatus wanted information Vakarian possessed.

A slight frown creased her features as Aria sat back. Now what would Garrus know that Sparatus didn't? She took a sip of her drink before breathing deeply. Nothing immediately sprung to mind but then, if it did, everyone would know. Vakarian had led a normal boring turian life until he'd come to Omega, then he'd gotten interesting. Even if only temporarily, disrupting the cartels and mercs as much as he had was impressive, impressive enough that she'd given him enough warning to escape when they got their act together. A smile whispered across her face. That had been very entertaining and while Vakarian still owed her one very large favor, it had almost been paid by watching the various groups blame each other. It had kept them on edge and under control nicely.

But that still didn't answer why Sparatus had wanted to see Garrus. Unless it had something to do with where he'd vanished after he left Omega? Aria flicked her eyes through the file. There was nothing about that and she felt her amusement fade. She made no habit of tracking individuals, unless there was a need, but that now made two well known names who'd disappeared from Omega to parts unknown. That was getting to the point where she needed information. Grimacing, she tapped a note to the Shadow Broker before she growled. This had better be worth it.

So it could be something to do with wherever Vakarian had vanished to or it… Aria's eyes narrowed. It could be something to do with the incident that made Garrus interesting. C-Sec's altercation on the Citadel and Vakarian's accusations against Spectre Arterius. Aria sat back, closing her eyes properly as everything sorted itself out in her mind.

Yes. That was it. Vakarian knew something about that, and Sparatus wanted to know but since declaring an interest in that event would be declaring that Sparatus now backed Vakarian's view, the open summons was all the Councillor could do. She snorted. Saren had finally worked it out and in true Spectre form, botched the job, killing Sparatus to be sure, but allowing Vakarian to escape, again. It might almost be worth selling that information to the cartels except it was speculation only. No… it was both useful and useless. Happenings on the Citadel hardly mattered here…

Unless… No, Vakarian was intelligent enough to know not to return to Omega. He'd go back to ground wherever he had vanished to last time. If they were willing to hide him against Omega's power brokers, then chances were they'd be willing to continue that service against the Council. Vakarian did have a knack of making the darndest allies.

Aria drained her drink, flicking to the next report as she raised the empty glass in an informal salute. The more chaos Vakarian caused, the better both for Omega and for her entertainment, and that deserved the acknowledgement of the drink. But what exactly did Vakarian know that Saren would kill for?


	6. Aria on Humans

As said previously, Aria's story doesn't impact on the main plot but she does make for some good bonuses. This was given out with Chapter 23 and deals with Aria after she finds out about the human threat to the galaxy.

**Mass Effect: Synthesis, Extras**  
><strong>Jade Tatsu<strong>  
><strong>Aria on Humans<strong>

* * *

><p>Aria looked at the human.<p>

It was a pathetic thing. It wasn't like those living in squalor down below but rather it was a snivelling, shivering thing that curled in on itself. Already, it had dripped blood on to the plush carpet and it stank of its own waste. Ugh, she would have to replace the carpet… at the least, maybe the entire room.

Grimacing, she reminded herself forcefully why she was allowing it in her presence.

Five days ago, over every frequency, a message had been broadcast through space. It showed an alien species laid out in lines, dead. There were thousands of them and the image had flickered showing multiple angles and more and more dead bodies. From the skies above, it was clear that it was multiple planets. A rather ominous voice had accompanied the scenes but no one had a translation. The vid had ended with images of small aliens and some odd writing. It was not a count down, rather it felt like a demand.

She'd been tempted to ignore it, until one of her batarian aides had laughingly identified the race. Human. At that point, her interest had piqued. No matter which way you looked at it, the humans had destroyed the Batarians. So much so that they were on the verge of extinction. And at the same time, they'd never shown any interest interacting with the rest of the galaxy. So why were they now showing their dead? Over every channel. That indicated that the humans were about to come out of hiding. And for the sake of her business, she'd better learn what that message said.

So she'd told her contacts to get her a human. There were still a few slaves out there.

In the end, she hadn't been able to purchase a human but a batarian had been willing to rent her one for a while. It had been dragged in and dumped to bleed on her carpet. She had been assured that this human could speak Batarian but it barely looked intelligent. From the images of the dead, humans were usually one color, be it pale or dark skinned. This one had pale skin that was stained with red welts and mottled bruising. Dirt was smeared all over it. The batarian owner had said he had to punish the human. So primitive, Aria sniffed at the memory and immediately wished she hadn't. It stank.

"Get up," she growled, making sure that her omni-tool would translate.

She was surprised when the human immediately shifted, uncoiling and standing. It still shivered and looked down but it had obeyed. So that was how you dealt with it. Whatever spirit the human race had, she would not see it in this specimen.

"Watch the screen," Aria instructed, gesturing to the wall. She pressed a small button and the humans' vid started playing.

As it played she examined the human. As a species, they were remarkably like asari, and while the batarians weren't exactly sure, they had indicated that the humans had a much shorter life span. She'd been told the human before her was female, not that she cared, and so long as it obeyed, it would make no difference. It watched the vid with wide green eyes and for an instant, Aria wondered what it would feel like to know that your race had utterly dominated the enemy but you were still behind enemy lines. Then she dismissed the thought. Life, long or short, was what you made of it. Nothing showed on the human's face and because of the bruising and welts, she couldn't tell if it had any other reaction.

When the vid ended it turned back to her, keeping its eyes on the floor.

"Did you understand the language?"

For a moment, the human actually displayed emotion. Uncertainty and Aria felt her ire raise. If the human did not understand… then it nodded.

"What does it say?" she asked, making the question an order.

The human's face creased and she watched as it thought. "Verbatim or summary, Mistress?"

"Summary."

"There was a biological attack on multiple civilian planets from alien probes. The galaxy has 10 days to separate the guilty from the innocent or all will pay the price. Those races wishing to do so may send an ambassador." The human gave the summary without the slightest hint of emotion coloring its tone.

Aria was impressed. No matter how ground down the human's spirit was, the message from the rest of its species would be one of hope. They were coming into the galaxy and the threat was one of strength yet the human remained despondent.

"Where will human forces go?" It was perhaps cruel to ask the human a question it would obviously not know the answer to because it would expect punishment for its failure.

The human looked up at her. Green eyes blinked but showed no fear. "I don't know."

"The message does not accuse the batarians?"

"No, Mistress," the human replied instantly.

"Do you wish to be rescued?"

It was an interesting study to watch the human's face go completely white. Even the dirt and bruises seemed to fade. The human looked genuinely petrified. "Mistress," the human quavered after a moment, tears forming in its eyes. "No, don't make me leave you. Please," it begged. Aria dismissed her line of questioning. It was so broken it didn't want anything else.

She examined the human for a few more moments before turning to one of her aides. A message from an unknown race was forgettable, no matter how many channels they commandeered. A military message from an unknown race who had been fighting the batarians for years, to only then launch a blitzkrieg attack so viciously that Khar'shan fell a few days later - that was something to take more seriously. "Take the human out and clean it up," she ordered the salarian, before turning to a drell. "Deal with the batarian."

If these humans were coming, and if they believed that at least one of the races had launched an attack on their planets, then having a little insurance might go a long way. The humans may not care about a single broken specimen of their species, but it never hurt to check.

It was just good business.


End file.
